by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Jan 7, 2020 | Life, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Wisdom
“Today Is The Most Important Day Of Our Lives.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are feeling recharged as we enter into a new decade.
Big changes have been happening over the past few months. In September of last year, I took the lead on an exciting new campaign in Canada – My Mental Health Rocks. This amazing campaign started in the UK is all about promoting wellbeing, resilience and raising awareness of our innate mental health and wellbeing in children, youth and teens. I’ll provide more details about that in a separate post.
This new role has taken all my focus and effort, as a result, I put The CPR of Life podcast on hold. I’m happy to be starting it up again next month with some fabulous new conversations focused on mental health and wellbeing.
For now, I want to share a few words with you as we enter 2020.
I see a lot of posts about resolutions, not having resolutions, what the new year means, etc. I wanted to share a few thoughts as we begin a new decade. Let this time be whatever best serves you moving forward in your life.
If it helps you to have resolutions go ahead and create a list, but leave room for the beauty of the unknown. Don’t get caught up in the anxiety of not meeting an expectation you created for yourself. If you have no desire to create a list then don’t.
There is so much magic in the unknown. Be curious, be open to new experiences, opinions, beliefs.
My wish for you as you start this decade is that you embrace your greatness. No-one can do you as good as you can, so you do you. Embrace all that you are beyond the stories you engage in – beyond the fears, the judgement and the criticism. You are a beautiful bundle of infinite potential.
Stop searching and start living. Often when working with clients they are striving for something, to be something, to have something. They are so focused on all the absence of things they are missing out on the most incredible gift we all have – the present moment. What about right now?
Be grateful for all that you are, you are enough, right now just as you are. Whatever you are searching for will not make you more amazing. I’m not saying don’t try to better yourself, to learn a new skill, etc. Just know that you are starting from a place of already being more than enough, just as you are.
Be more than kind to yourself, your inner being is always with you, it is the unique light that makes you literally one in 7.8 billion. Read that again, you are one in 7.8 billion! As you move forward in this decade embrace that unique statistic. Embrace all the things that make you so incredibly unique. Have more presence, find beauty in the ordinary, have amazing adventures and beautiful connections.
Cultivate the most extraordinary relationship with that inner being that is always with you. Ready to shine through the layers of judgement, criticism, the excuses, the stories. I promise you that it will be the most rewarding relationship you will ever have. It will be the most valuable way to spend your time as you move forward.
I wish you all much love, peace, gratitude, curiosity and presence as you begin 2020.
by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Sep 6, 2019 | Children, Mental Health, Parenting, The CPR of Life Podcast, Wellbeing
Hello my beautiful souls. Today I am so happy to share a beautiful conversation that everyone can benefit from listening to. I have a lovely chat with the founders of the My Mental Health Rocks campaign. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, I see the difference this conversation makes every day with others. Co-founders Leanne Macdonald and Julie Brown both work in the area of mental health and wellbeing. They are blazing the trail with this campaign. Their passion is evident and the difference they make in the lives of others is admirable.
In this episode we talk about:
- What the ‘My Mental Health Rocks’ initiative is;
- Raising awareness about mental health takes a village;
- Teaching versus exploring with children and youth; and
- Children are never broken and don’t need to be fixed.
My mental health rocks initiative really drives home the point that it takes a village. When that perspective is embraced amazing things can happen. I think the combination of Kids being Kind magazine and my mental health rocks initiative has the potential to make a huge impact.
Here are a few thought bomb takeaways:
- Teachers already have so many demands placed upon them. Adding the responsibility of emotional learning neither reasonable nor fair. Of course, there is so much emotional learning that already goes on in day to day life at school, but that should be based on what a child already knows.
- There is a difference between teaching versus exploring. Teachers have a set curriculum they have to follow. This initiative focuses on exploration – which is so fun, insightful and life-changing;
- Teachers have an incredible impact and responsibility. As Julie mentioned, everyone can remember a teacher, whether that be because of a negative or a life-changing experience. Teachers are definitely a crucial part of creating the future of our children; and
- This message is one every person needs to hear: you are not broken, life is limitless when it comes to potential and a reminder when you are struggling, whatever you are going through is a temporary experience. Knowing this makes life flow in a much more natural and less stressful way.
Until next time: Be well. Be inspired. Be You.
To listen to the podcast on Podbean:
https://thecproflife.podbean.com/e/my-mental-health-rocks-episode-33/
To listen to the podcast on iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-mental-health-rocks-episode-33/id1438553484?i=1000448770991
Much love,
Jessie-Lynn
To find out more about My Mental Health Rocks:
https://www.mymentalhealthrocks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mymentalhealthrocks/
To find out more about Kids Being Kind Magazine:
https://www.kidsbeingkindmagazine.com/
by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Aug 23, 2019 | Be You, Children, Mental Health, The CPR of Life Podcast, Wellbeing
“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” — Lady Bird Johnson
Working with children is an absolute passion for me. There is magic in each and every child. It’s an honour to be in the presence of children and young people. It’s a gift to have conversations where we get to highlight their wellbeing. In this episode, I chat with Vicky Otter, a former teacher who followed her passion and now works as a wellbeing coach and facilitator. Vicky’s enthusiasm for all she does is evident. Vicky has such a lovely presence.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Running a workshop without a set agenda;
- The power of connection, when you are completely present in the moment, with little attachment to the outcome true connection is powerful.
- All feelings are okay; and
- The benefits of having a ‘come as you are’ conversation.
I’m so happy to have connected with Vicky. She has such a beautiful heart and passion for what she does. It’s nice to exchange ideas and takeaways. This conversation was a beautiful example of the power of connection and the beauty of conversation.
Here are a few thought bomb takeaways:
- There are huge benefits to having a loose agenda for a workshop, doing so creates the opportunity for the participants to explore their own creativity;
- Listen to yourself, that’s where the wisdom is;
- In conversations the speaker often has a purpose in what they are sharing, what we often forget is that the listener will receive the information from their own personal lens – it is through that lens that they will hear the message; and
- The power of connection is immeasurable when you are truly present you give the opportunity for those you work with or are conversing with to feel like they matter. As Vicky said with her pilot project, they came together as strangers and left as friends.
Children are so authentic. Take life with a pinch of sparkle…Best advice ever.
Until next time be well, be inspired, be you.
To listen to this episode on Podbean:
https://thecproflife.podbean.com/e/highlighting-childrens-wellbeing-episode-32/
To listen to this episode on iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/highlighting-childrens-wellbeing-episode-32/id1438553484?i=1000447626857
To find out more about Vicky:
https://www.innateconnection.org.uk/?fbclid=IwAR0BD7228BAaLpu7sKcTqUviyVtYsSaVMszG_gEmt7sO_oX-r6QJueJUN7o
by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Jul 25, 2019 | Life, Resilience, Self-Love, state of mind, The CPR of Life Podcast, Wellbeing, Wisdom
Life is a journey. Depending on the stage we are at, we may be discovering something new about ourselves or rediscovering something we touched on at another time in our journey. In this podcast episode, my guest is author and coach Ankush Jain.
It’s a wonderful and easy read. It was great to talk to Ankush about writing a book and the wisdom behind rediscovering (or discovering) who you really are.
We talk about:
- Why Ankush wrote the book;
- The process and challenges of writing a book;
- The ebb and flow of life; and
- How transformation is at the heart of everything Ankush does in his work.
As I mentioned I recommend this book, it is an easy read filled with gorgeous nuggets. It’s always nice to hear the background of how and why a book is written.
Here are a few thought bomb takeaways:
- Our reality is a reflection of our thinking moment to moment. There is a tremendous benefit to tapping into who we were before getting caught up in our thinking;
- Younger children show up unfiltered, without a lot of thinking about who they are (or are not), how they are showing up, etc. When we learn how our reality is created we are more likely to tap back into this unfiltered presence; and
- When being of service is at the heart of your coaching business (and really for any business in general) clients feel that and are more likely to gain insight and experience of transformation.
I hope you enjoy this conversation.
To listen to the podcast on Podbean:
https://thecproflife.podbean.com/e/rediscovering-who-you-really-are/
To listen to the podcast on iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rediscovering-who-you-really-are/id1438553484?i=1000445340272
Until next time: Be well. Be inspired. Be You.
Much love, Jessie-Lynn
To reach Ankush or to access the many valuable resources he has on his webpage:
https://ankushjain.co.uk/
Ankush’s Book “Sweet Sharing”
https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Sharing-Rediscovering-REAL-You/dp/1796646830/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ULLM1LJ4YR5E&keywords=sweet+sharing+ankush+jain&qid=1564112912&s=gateway&sprefix=sweet+sharing+ankush+j%2Caps%2C283&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.ca/Sweet-Sharing-Rediscovering-REAL-You/dp/1796646830/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564113832&sr=8-1
by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Jul 12, 2019 | Deep Listening, Love, Self-Love, state of mind, The CPR of Life Podcast, Wellbeing
You not only are loved, you ARE love.
What do you think of when you hear self-love? I have been having a lot of beautiful conversations with my clients about this. Like my clients, it’s also a journey I spent a lot of my life in search of. For many years I like so many people thought of self-love as a state to get to. What if you have been looking in the wrong direction? What if your journey is futile? I invite you to consider that YOU ARE LOVE. What if there is no journey to go on nor a place to get to?
In this conversation, my guest Phil Goddard and I are taking a deep dive into the topic of love. Phil is a romantic at heart who has written a couple of books about love. I was intrigued to hear more about his journey, why love and how he brings this into his coaching practice.
In this episode we talk about:
- Why Phil embarked on a journey to understand love;
- What self-love is and what it is not;
- Why life is more enjoyable and fun when we stop searching; and
- The innate wisdom within every human being.
This timing of this conversation was serendipitous as it echoed the conversations I’d been having with my clients. I have seen a change in Phil’s dance with the concept of love over the past few years. It was fun to have the opportunity to connect with him.
Here are a few thought bomb takeaways:
- What would love do? It is a great question when you are stuck, struggling or unsure of something, reflecting on this question can bring more clarity about the situation. It’s the type of inquiry that brings out the best in us;
- Love is something we define through our own personal lens. That lens changes from moment to moment. Knowing that love is an idea allows us to approach it in a lighthearted and fun way;
- When we are feeling stuck, heartbroken, depressed, etc., it is a gift to share that this moment and more so the feelings are transient and will pass; and
- I loved our discussion around the concept of self-love. When you are searching or embarking on a journey of self-love it is really a denial of accepting or embracing the love that is innate and lies within.
To listen to this episode on Podbean:
https://thecproflife.podbean.com/e/self-love-a-discovery-or-a-journey/
To listen to this episode on iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/self-love-a-discovery-or-a-journey/id1438553484?i=1000444273429
Until next time: Be well. Be inspired. Be You.
Much love,
Jessie-Lynn
To get in touch with Phil:
Facebook: Fbphil.com
Website: philg.com
by Jessie-Lynn MacDonald | Jun 27, 2019 | Deep Listening, The CPR of Life Podcast, Wellbeing, Wisdom
“The practice of deep listening is the practice of open inquiry, without assumption or judgement.”
― Sharon Weil
I’m excited to share this beautiful conversation with you. In this episode, I chat with the wise and wonderful Declan Stout, a caring human being with a big heart who is on a journey to transform many lives. We are talking about something near and dear to my heart – deep listening.
Declan is the heart and soul behind Listen With Love – a beautiful space for people to donate their time to listen, and on the flip side, a free space for people to be listened to.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Deep listening: what it is and why it’s so powerful;
- How to listen deeply;
- The power of being present in a conversation; and
- The innate wisdom within every human being.
Have you ever wondered what kind of listener you are? I always thought of myself as a good listener until I learned about deep listening. When I did it completely changed everything in my business and personal relationships. It is a game changer. I used to want to solve people’s problems for them. I listened to point them to how strong, courageous and amazing they were. Sounds good right? WRONG!! Listen to understand, listen to give the person you are talking to space to find their OWN wisdom, listen with love. Thank you Declan for this beautiful conversation.
Here are a few thought bomb takeaways:
- Deep listening is an incredibly powerful thing. It is not about listening to respond, affirm, negate it is about being fully present.
- What makes deep listening so impactful is the connection and showing up as an empty vessel;
- There is power in the pause, when we don’t respond right after someone has finished speaking, we are giving them the space to find their own wisdom; and
- Wisdom comes from both sides in a conversation. Let your wisdom guide you either as a speaker and a listener;
To listen to this episode on Podbean:
https://thecproflife.podbean.com/e/the-power-of-deep-listening/
To listen to this episode on ITunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-power-of-deep-listening/id1438553484?i=1000442993263
Until next time: Be well. Be inspired. Be You.
Much love,
Jessie-Lynn
To reach Declan:
Website: WISDOM GUIDES: Home
FB Page: Listening with Love – A Safe Space to Talk @safespacetotalk
https://www.facebook.com/safespacetotalk/
